Coin weighing and blocking device for vending-machines.



E. M. PERFECT. COIN WEIGHING AND BLOCKING DEVICE FOR VENDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC, 4. I9I6- Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EBER M. PERFECT, 0F GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANCIS W. WINANS, OF EVANSVILLE,

INDIANA.

' com WEIGHING AND i nnocxnve DEVICE non VENDING-MACHINES.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 18, 1917.

1916. Serial N0. 135,014.

Original application filed May 13, 1916, Serial No. 97,397. Divided and this application filed December 4,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EBER M. Pnnrno'r, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Grafton, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin WVeighing and Blocking Devices for Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to an improved coin weighing and blocking device for vending machines, and consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims found at the termination of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved coin weighing mechanism for vending-machines, whereby slugs and coins of insuficient weight will be rejected and returned to the person who deposits them in the machine.

A further object is to provide a vendingmachine with a coin-blocking chamber, containing a coin-blocking device which will block the passage of not only slugs,but coins to the weight-testing device, and re turn them to the depositor, whenever a proper coin has been inserted and the delivery-lever is retained in a depressed or partially depressed position by a careless person, or a number of careless persons who might deposit a number of coins while said delivery-lever is held in a depressed position; or when one coin has been placed in the machine and said lever has not been operated.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a coin-blocking device which shall be operable to return coins to the purchaser whenever the said delivery-lever is only partially depressed by a careless or ignorant person; thereby pleasing the would be purchaser by returning his coin to him whenever an article is not delivered to him by the machine.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side-elevation of a portion of a vending-machine having my invention applied thereto, with the side of the casing removed from the machine, to show the internal parts thereof.

Fig. 2 is a detail side-elevation of the mechanism in the upper portion of the machine, and

Fig. 3 is a similar view, with the parts in a different adjustment.

This application is a division of'a prior application filed by me on May 13th, 1916, Serial No. 97,397, for an improved vending machine.

In that application (as in the present one) I have shown a vending-machine arranged withoa comparatively large article-storage chamber, in which articles ofdifferent sizes (large, small, and intermediate) may be stored ready for delivery.

The numeral 1 designates the article-storage chamber or compartment, which is located in the upper and rear portion of the casing 2, and access to which is afforded by Way of a common rear door (not shown).

In the upper front corner of said casing is an article-exhibiting chamber 6, in which a sample article, such as 7, is supported upon a floor 7 Formed in the front of said exhibitingchamber 6 is a common sight-opening in the rear of which is a glass plate supported in suitable holding devices 10, so that a clear view of the sample article may be had by a person standing in front of the machine.

A vertical partition 11 separates the said article-storage chamber from said exhibiting chamber 6, and said partition-extends below the plane of the floor 7 of said exhibiting-chamber a considerable distance, so as to form beneath the latter a mechanismchamber 12, in which the operating parts of the machine are removably contained during use of the machine.

as shown in Fig. 2.

A suitable money-till 15 is detachably carried upon the supporting bracket 16 projecting at a right-angle from the lnternal storage chamber 1 by surface of said front wall 13, at the lower end of said frame-plate 14, and is removable therewith.

A suitable curved brace 17 has its outer and upper end secured to the said front wall 13 by means of a rivet or screw 18, whence 1t extends downwardly and rearwardly to the inner edge of said till-bracket 16 and is secured there, for the double purpose of bracing said bracket and for acting as a badcoin chute.

Said till 15 is yieldingly held in place upon its supporting-bracket 16 by a flat spring 19, so that said till may be quickly detached and dumped upon removal of said front wall, the upper side of said till being open, of course.

The articles to be sold are designated, in the present instance, by the numeral 7, and are all shown of the same size; but it is obvious that they need not be so, on account of the novel arrangement of the article stand,

which forms no part of the present invention, but which forms the subject-matter of claims embodied in my companion application above noted, and which therefore need not be further described herein.

The articles 7 are temporarily supported in the article-storage chamber 1, each upon a dumping-plate 20, one above the other, and surmounted by a weighted-follower 21, which latter is preferably made of sheet-metal and rectangular in form, and supplied upon its interior with any suitable form of weight, such as sand, a piece of iron, or buck-shot.

Said follower 21 and said dumping-plates 20 are located in a horizontal position when in use, as shown. (See Fig. 1.)

Said dumping-plates 20, and the said follower 21, are guided freely in their downward movement by suitable guide-bars, as 22, secured to the inner wall of said article means of nails or the like 23.

24 indicates a supporting-bracket, secured to the wall of said article storage-chamber 1, at a point beneath the lowermost one of the serles of dumping-plates carrying the artlcles 7, so that whenever said lowermost plate is shoved off of the said bracket the sa 1d plate (and the article lying upon it) will be dumped, and said article will fall into the underlying delivery-chute 25, from which it can be readily removed by the purchaser inserting his hand through the delivery-opening 26, at the base of the machme.

The numeral 29 indicates a perforated-ear on said delivery-chute 25,'by means of which said chute is secured in place.

When a proper coin or check '38 is inserted in the coin-slot 33 it rolls edgewise down the inclined coin-chute 39 until it reaches and drops into the exit-slot 40 in the lower edge of said chute, where it falls upon the rear arm of a V-shaped rocking blockingdevice 41 and depresses same to a downwardly-inclined position, and thence rolls into the weight-testing device, which will now be described.

The weight-testing apparatus.

normal position, (as shown by solid lines in- Fig. 2) to the position in which it is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, (and b solid lines in Fig. 3), and then said coin ro ls into said coin-hopper 44, and depresses the same if said coin is of sufiicient weight to do so, and

thence passes off the free inner end of said hopper, and drops into the underlying chute 46, and (if not prevented by the coin-blocking arm 53 in the manner presently described) will pass from said chute 46,-and drop directly into the underlying coin-space which is formed between the inner end of pusher-bolt 47 and a laterally-projecting lug 48 on the horizontal sliding dumpingplate pusher-bolt 49; both of said pusherbolts being mounted to slide in suitable horizontal guides 50 secured to said frameplate 14 by screws or rivets.

Said pusher-bolt 47 is mounted upon one side of said frame-plate 14, as shown in Fig. 2, and said other pusher-bolt 49 is mounted upon the opposite side of said plate.

But, if a slugor a light-weight coin should reach said coin-hopper; or if the delivery-lever is only partially depressed by a careless customer, (even if another coin already occupies said coin-space) said slug or coin-even a proper coin, will be shunted before it falls into said coin-space by said coin-blocking-arm 53, as presently described, and coins so shunted will fall upon said blocking-arm in said chute 46, and be thereby compelled to gravitate to the said delivery-chute 25, and be returned to the owner.

The action of the rejected coin, just described, takes place upon the side of the said frame-plate which is shown in the drawings, so that said rejected coin misses the said till 15, which is located upon the opposite side of said frame-plate.

If said delivery-lever 54 is fully depressed, after a proper coin has reached the said coin-space between the inner end of said coin pusher-bolt 47 and the said lateral lug 48 on the said dumping-plate pusher-bolt 49, then said pusher-bolt 47 will push said coin inwardly against the said lug, and carry both coin and lug together with the dumping-plate pusher-bolt inwardly, and the said last-named bolt will engage the lowermost one of the series of horizontal dumping-plates 20, and shove it 'oif the adjacent supporting-bracket 24, whereupon said unsupported plate will fall atits front edge (its rear edge being supported by suitable sliding ears, not shown herein) and dump its article into the said delivery-chute 25, where said article can be reached and removed by the purchaser thereof.

Said delivery-lever 54 extends upon the interior of the vending machine through a slot 55 formed in the said front 13, and said lever is preferably as shown in the form of a bell-crank lever, with its inner arm passing downwardly upon the interior of the said mechanism-chamber 12, and thereat engaging a pin 56 projecting from one side of the said coin pusher bolt 47, to operate said bolt as previously described.

A suitable coin pusher-bolt spring 57 is fixed, as shown, to one side of the said frame-plate 14, and arranged to engage said pin 56, to normally retain said bolt in a retracted position.

Said bell-crank delivery-lever 54 is pivoted at 58 to a suitable bracket 59 fixed upon one side of said frame-plate 14.

A slot 60 is formed in the side-wall of the guide 61 in which said coin pusher-bolt operates, for the necessary movement of said pin 56.

62 designates another bell-crank lever, which is forked at its lower end and pivoted at 63 to said frame-plate, so that its shorter (horizontal) arm will engage beneath the said inner arm of said \l-shaped coin-blocking device 41, whenever said delivery-lever 54 is depressed and said pusherbolt 47 is projected, and rock said blockingdevice back to its normal position in contact With said stop-pin 45.

Said bell-crank lever 62 also engages a rocking-lever 64 at such times, and moves the upper end of said rocking-lever upwardly until a lateral-projection at the upper end of said lever 64 contacts with a depending projection 65 on the underside of the coin-hopper 44, and tilts the latter on its pivot 66 and causes the said hopper to discharge any coin that may have been allowed to reach .it inadvertently.

Said discharged coin will, as previously described, be intercepted by the said blocking-arm 53, which at such moment underlies the said discharged coin and shunts it down into the said delivery-chute, as before mentioned. Said rocking-lever 64 is pivoted at 67 to said frame-plate.

The numeral 68 designates an adjustable balancing-weight for the said coin-hopper 44, said weight being provided (in the present case) with a screw 69 which is threaded into a perforation formed in the said depending projection 65 of the said hopper, so that by turning said weight it will be moved nearer to 01' farther from the pivot 66 of said hopper, and thereby balance the same until the proper space is normally permitted (or arranged for) between the free delivery-' end of the hopper and the adjacent partition 11, to allow a coin of the proper weight to pass in said space to the said coin-chute 46, or to fall upon the said shunting or blocking arm 53 when the latter is interposed, as previously described.

After an article has been delivered, by the full depression of the said delivery-lever 54, as previously described, the coin which caused said delivery-action will be dropped into the till-chute 71 and gravitate there-- from into said till 15, whence it will be removed by the attendant, as usual in machines of this class.

. As the inward movement of the said coin pusher-bolt 47 continues, the lateral lug 48 extending (as it does) to a plane above that of the center of said pushing coin, and being inclined, as shown, to fit the inclination of the edge of said coin, causes the same to run 06 the inner end of said bolt-guide 61, and be forced downwardly into the underlying till-chute 71.

The front 13 is provided with a common lock 72, whereby it may be removably secured in position, to protect the till from thieves.

It will thus be seen, from the above description, that if a coin, or a slug of any dimensions, but of not sufiicient welght, is inserted in the coin-slot 33 it will come into contact with, and rock, the said V-shaped blocking-device 41, and will thence be delivered into the said coin-weighing hopper 44; but it will not be able to reach the said coin space (and cannot possibly operate the delivery mechanism), for the following reasons, to-wit First. The light-weight coin or slug, will be unable to depress the weighinghopper 44 to a sufficient degree to dump itself therefrom, and it will remain in said hopper until the-latter is dumped by contact therewith of said hopper-dumping rockinglever 64, in the manner previously described.

Second. The said coin pusher-bolt 47 when pushed in by the operation of said delivery-lever 54 (in the manner previously described), carries with it the said coinblocking arm 53, until the latter is located (as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3) in the path of any coin falling from said weighing-hopper, to intercept the false coin, and prevent it being delivered to the till.

Third. All light-weight coins, or slugs will be dumped from the weighing-hopper 44 onto the said blocking-arm 53, only after the said arm has been projected into a position for intercepting them, for the reason that the said hopper-dumping lever 64 is brought into action after said blocking-arm has been projected.

I do not limit myself to the exact form and arrangement of the parts shown in the drawing, as it is evident that the same may be changed by a skilled mechanic as he sees fit, without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim the following particularly as my invention:

1. An improved coin-welghing and blocking mechanism for vending-machines, comprising a delivery-lever, a hopper arranged to be balanced by the weight thereon of a proper coin so as to automatically pass a full-weight coin toward the money-till of the machine, a coin-blocking arm arranged in a plane below that of said hopper, to intercept coins and slugs, a connection with the delivery-lever of the machine, for projecting said arm when said delivery-lever is operated, and a connection with the deliverylever of the machine for dumping light weight coins and slugs from said hopper after the said coin-blocking arm has been projected.

2. An improved coin-weighing and blocking mechanism for vending-machines, comprising a coin-weighing device which will be insufficiently balanced by a light-weight coin or slug, and which will retain such until the same is dumped; a delivery-lever; a blocking-arm below said coin-weighing device, to intercept coin and slugs; a dumpinglever for'engaging said coin-weighing device and causing the same to dump the coin and slugs which have been retained by it; a V-shaped blocking-device arranged to rock and intercept coin and slugs before they reach said coin-weighing device; and suitable means for connecting said blocking-arm, said dumping-lever and said V-shaped blocking-device with the delivery-lever of the machine.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EBER M. PERFECT.

Witnesses:

LOUIE M. KELLY, KATHLEEN PAINTER. 

